Holiday Drink Recipes

I recently made a boozy cider for Work/Shop and got so many recipe requests that I decided to sit down and share it with the internet, as it makes the perfect holiday party drink. Or a just hanging out alone drink. No judgement. I also thought I’d round up the drink recipes I’ve shared over the past couple years as they are all party-ready.

Boozy CiderProps to The Boys Club for inspiring this one. You can follow their original cider recipe (at the bottom of the page) for a totally handmade cider if you’re feeling ambitious.This recipe was very off-the-cuff since I had to make a huge amount and didn’t have a recipe for a huge amount. If you’re not up for interpreting recipes or being intuitive/casual about ingredients, it’s not for you. It all fit in a 3 Liter air pot.
100oz of unfiltered apple juice (I used roughly 1 1/2 64 oz jugs)
6 cinnamon sticks
3 tbsp all spice
1 tbsp whole cloves
1 tbsp grated nutmeg
1-2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp cardamon pods (you could use grated instead)
1/2 C – 3/4 C maple syrup (the real stuff, please) alt: brown sugar or agave
peel of half a lemon (I used Meyer, my preference)

Combine all of the ingredients in a large stock pot. Bring to a low boil and let boil for roughly 30 minutes. It’s going to smell delicious and you will be full of the holiday spirit. Turn the heat down and let it simmer for at least 1 hour. Add the maple syrup and lemon peel and let it simmer for another 30 minutes. Turn the heat off and let it cool. Strain into another container (this is temporary) using cheesecloth and/or a fine mesh sieve. Rinse the pot out and return the liquid to it.

This is where you could stop if you have kids/pregnant ladies/Mormons who want to drink this. If not, pour bourbon, whiskey, or rum in to taste. I would guess that I used about 3 cups, but don’t quote me on that. If you add too much and realize all of your guests are going to have alcohol poisoning by the end of the evening, add more apple juice (always good to have extra on hand). I used Makers Mark, fyi. Add more sweetener if necessary. Reheat to a non-mouth burning temperature. Serve straight from the pot with a ladle or if transporting, use an air pot.

And because the Rosemary Lemonade Gin Slushes are amazing, but not cold-weather appropriate, revised to be a non-slush drink:
2 oz gin
juice of half a lemon (preferably meyer if you can get one)
1/2 oz rosemary simple syrup (recipe in the link above)
Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker, pour into a glass. Garnish with a rosemary sprig if you have people to impress. (Who doesn’t?)

Happy holidays, everyone! Stay tuned this week for a very exciting Weekly Music post.